BLET News
NMB news: Sweatt assumes Chairmanship, UNITE/IBT employees released from mediation
In a brief published on July 1, the National Mediation Board announced that Loren Sweatt, a Republican, has assumed Chairmanship. Deirdre Hamilton and Linda Puchala, both Democrats, will remain as Members of the Board. The NMB also confirmed on July 1 that, pursuant...
California: BLET members ratify new agreement with PHL
The Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen (BLET), Division 214, and Pacific Harbor Line, Inc. (PHL) have overwhelmingly ratified a three-year extension to their current Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) well ahead of any deadline. The agreement...
Nevada: Union Pacific’s remote control locomotives are a threat to public safety
Just days after an explosive New York Times investigative report exposed the dangers of remote control technology, the Union Pacific launched a wide-ranging initiative to implement remote control locomotives (RCLs) in Las Vegas. Brother Matt Parker, Chairman of the...
BLET, BMWED members participate in Teamsters Women’s Conference
More than 1,500 Teamster Sisters attended dozens of workshops to empower workers and better advocate for their fellow members on the job during the Teamsters Women's Conference in San Juan, Puerto Rico, June 23-26. Topics included union bylaws, heat stress, internal...
Excessive train length: Rail industry is still lobbying against safety rules
A recent article published at Jacobin.com examines how the railroad industry has continued to aggressively lobby against federal safety regulations since the 2023 East Palestine disaster, even as new data suggests that increases in train length have made derailments...
Act now! SEPTA, PHL members should request a replacement ballot ASAP
Pacific Harbor Line intermodal train. Photo courtesy of Jason Burke ____________________ Balloting is currently underway on tentative agreements at two BLET-represented railroads — SEPTA and Pacific Harbor Line (PHL). Eligible members who have not received a ballot...
Ohio Senators ramp up pressure to pass Railway Safety Act
U.S. Senators Sherrod Brown (D-OH) and J.D. Vance (R-OH) are pressuring Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and skeptical Republicans to pass the Railway Safety Act. The NTSB’s damning investigation of Norfolk Southern’s toxic 2023 train derailment in East...
Supreme Court strips regulatory power from federal agencies, with big impact on railroad industry
In late June, the U.S. Supreme Court voted 6-3 to kill a legal precedent known as the “Chevron deference.” Industry publication Railway Age said the landmark ruling would likely “clip the wings” of rail industry regulators such as the Federal Railroad Administration....
UP-Central Region General Chairman Ronnie Rhodes retires
Ronnie Rhodes (right) pictured with his wife Lisa at the 2023 Milwaukee regional meeting. ____________________ The BLET National Division extends best wishes to Brother Ronnie Rhodes, who retired from his position as General Chairman of the Union Pacific-Central...
BLET calls for FRA to examine root cause of Amtrak’s ongoing loss of shunt problem
The BLET opposes the installation of shunt enhancer antennas on Amtrak's fleet of Siemens Charger locomotives. Photo by David Estes ____________________ The BLET has filed written comments with the Federal Railroad Administration to oppose Amtrak’s request for a...
Philadelphia: BLET reaches tentative agreement with SEPTA
The BLET has reached a tentative contract with SEPTA, and ballots were mailed today to eligible members who operate regional rail trains for the transit agency. The tentative three-year contract would run from March 3, 2023 to March 2, 2026. Among other gains, the...
BLET cites PSR and corporate greed as NTSB issues final report on East Palestine derailment
These Brothers represented BLET at the NTSB board meeting in East Palestine on June 25 (from left): Director of Political Affairs Brendan Sullivan; National VP & NLR Vince Verna; National VP and STF Chairman Randy Fannon, STF National Coordinator Brian Fransen,...
Pharmacy benefit manager to change for BLET members beginning in 2025
All individuals under the National Railroad Health and Welfare (GA-23000) Plan will have their Pharmacy Benefit Manager (PBM) changed effective January 1, 2025. The Plans will switch from Express Scripts, Inc. to Optum Rx. All covered members, eligible spouses and...
Spradlin reelected KCS General Chairman
David Spradlin (front row, 2nd from left) was reelected GC of the Kansas City Southern GCA at their quadrennial meeting this week. ___________________ David Spradlin was reelected as Chairman during the Kansas City Southern / Louisiana & Arkansas Railway General...
Chicago, Fort Wayne & Eastern: BLET members vote to ratify tentative agreement
BLET members have voted to ratify a tentative contract agreement with the Chicago, Fort Wayne & Eastern Railroad (CF&E). This on-property agreement will govern rates of pay, benefits and work rules for 45 operating employees. The five-year deal will run...
William Wallace elected new Chairman of UP-Western Region GCA as Leyshon retires
Newly elected GC William Wallace (front row, center) with members at the UP-Western Region GCA quadrennial meeting. He replaces the retiring Steve Leyshon (front row, 2nd from left). __________________ William Wallace of BLET Division 362 was elected as the new...
Message to the Membership: From President Eddie Hall on the 2024 Eastern Regional Meeting
Brothers and Sisters, I want to express my gratitude following the Western Regional Meeting in Kansas City and thank everyone who attended. You all are the Union, and I was delighted to host the meeting. I want to invite you and your families to our Eastern Regional...
A strike can happen at NJ Transit as soon as July 25
30-day “cooling-off” period begins today as NMB releases BLET from mediation Today, the National Mediation Board (NMB), the federal agency that regulates labor relations for railroads and airlines, has granted release to the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and...
California: BLET reaches tentative agreement with PHL
The BLET has reached a tentative contract with the Pacific Harbor Line (PHL). Ballots for a vote on a tentative agreement governing rates of pay for approximately 150 members were mailed on Friday, June 21. If ratified by the membership, the agreement would run...
East Palestine: NTSB to announce final findings, probable cause, and recommendations
On Tuesday, June 25, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) will hold a public meeting regarding the 2023 East Palestine train derailment and subsequent hazardous material release and fires. During the hearing, NTSB board members will vote on the findings,...
Daily Headlines
Study: Derailment risk rises with the number of cars in a freight train
The risk of derailment increases with freight train length, according to an academic study published today, which found that a 200-car train is 24% more likely to derail than a 50-car train.
NS to pay $15 million civil penalty, $57.1 million in cleanup costs over East Palestine derailment
Norfolk Southern agreed to pay a $15 million civil penalty and $57.1 million in past government cleanup costs as well as millions in future costs to resolve a U.S. government lawsuit over a 2023 train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, court documents show.
Judge signs off on $600 million East Palestine derailment settlement but residents still have questions
A federal judge has signed off on the $600 million class action settlement over last year’s disastrous Norfolk Southern derailment in eastern Ohio, but many people who live near East Palestine are still wondering how much they will end up with out of the deal.
CPKC and Teamsters Canada remain at impasse
Although Wednesday marked the end of a mandatory 21-day cooling off period under Canadian labor law, the Canada Industrial Relations Board continues to review requests to determine what commodities might be deemed essential and must keep moving during a strike.
FRA finalizes certification standards for signalmen, dispatchers
New federal certification rules finalized Monday for train dispatchers and signal repairmen will set minimum standards to counteract the investor pressure on railroads to continually cut costs while making sure those employees have the skills they need to operate all the high-tech systems on today’s trains.
Optimism grows for U.S. high-speed rail
An air of optimism prevailed at this year’s U.S. High Speed Rail conference, held May 14-15 in Washington, D.C.
AAR reports rail traffic for the week ending May 11, 2024
For this week, total U.S. weekly rail traffic was 468,748 carloads and intermodal units, up 0.6 percent compared with the same week last year.
CPKC to resume contract negotiations with TCRC
Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CPKC) said on Thursday its leadership, with the assistance of federal mediators, will resume contract negotiations with the Teamsters Canada Rail Conference (TCRC) union on May 17.
Study shows longer freight trains have higher risk of derailment
The longer the freight train, the greater the risk of derailment, new research from the Society for Risk Analysis shows.
Communication error led to UP yard fatality, NTSB determines
The NTSB has determined that a communication breakdown over granting permission for a train movement into the yard, as well as regarding placement of a portable derail device, was the probable cause of a August 2022 Union Pacific yard fatality in El Paso, Texas.
